| Faryab (فارياب) | |
| Province | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Capital | Maymana |
| - coordinates | |
| Area | 20,293 km2 (7,835 sq mi) |
| Population | 858,600 (2006) [1] |
| Density | 42.3 / km2 (110 / sq mi) |
| Timezone | UTC+4:30 |
| Main languages | Uzbek (53.5%) Dari Persian (27%) Pashto (13%) |
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Map of Afghanistan with Faryab highlighted
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Fāryāb (Persian: فاریاب) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Maymana. The majority of the population is Uzbek.
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Faryab is a Persian word meaning "irrigated land".[2] The modern province is named after a town that was founded by the Sassanids and later destroyed by the invading Mongols in 1220.[2] According to Ibn al-Nadim, medieval Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi was born in Faryab.
During the Afghan Civil War, the front line between Taliban and opposition forces often fell between Badghis and Faryab provinces in the mid-1990s. Former Herati warlord Ismail Khan also fled to Faryab to reconstitute his forces following the Taliban takeover of Herat, but was betrayed by Abdul Malik Pahlawan.[3]
On 23 May 1997, Abdul Malik Pahlawan raised the Taliban flag over the capital of Maimana, switching sides and initiating a renewed Taliban offensive from the west.[4] Following a series of changing allegiances and falling out with Malik, the Taliban withdrew from the area, but in 1998 a contigent of 8,000 Taliban troops pressed through Faryab, seizing Abdul Rashid Dostum's headquarters in Sheberghan, in neighboring Jowzjan province.[5]
Faryab province has been one of the more peaceful areas in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban after the U.S. invasion of 2001. Recent development projects in the province have focused on expanding the agricultural potential of the province, in particular the re-forestation of areas of the province that were denuded in the recent past.
As of 2006, it was reported that the Abdul Malik Pahlawan's Freedom Party of Afghanistan still maintained an armed militant wing, which was contributing to instability in province.[6]
At the province is a Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is led by Norway. The Norwegian PRT has its base at Maymana and has also been given the responsibility for the Ghormach District which used to be in neighboring Badghis Province but is now, as of December 2008, part of Faryab Province.
Afghanistan signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin, a project expected to earn billions of dollars over two decades; the deal covers drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol and Faryab and is the first international oil production agreement entered into by the Afghan government for several decades.[7]
The Governor of the province is Abdul Haq Shafaq, an ethnic Hazara, and a member of Hezbe Wahdat.
The Uzbek population (53%) represent the majority in Faryab, followed by Tajiks (ca. 27%-30%). Other are Pashtuns (13%) and Turkmen people (ca. 4%-6%).[8] Other sources indicate the number of Uzbeks as 60%, of Tajiks as 20%, of Pashtun and Hazaras as 10% and for Turkmen people goes the same percentage number (10%).[9][10] However, the number of Pashtuns in Faryab is decreasing drastically like elsewhere in northern Afghanistan[11][12] because many non-Pashtuns still take revange for the crimes of Taliban Pashtuns against non-Pashtuns.
Uzbeki is spoken by over half (53.5%) of the population. The second most frequent language is Persian (Dari), followed by Pashtu (17%), a bit more than the actual number of their population, and Turkmen language.[8]
Around 89% of the population live in rural regions, while 11% live in urban areas.[8]
| District | Capital | Population | Area[13] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almar | ||||
| Andkhoy | Sub-divided in 2005 | |||
| Bilchiragh | Sub-divided in 2005 | |||
| Dawlat Abad | 39,000 | |||
| Ghormach | Added to Faryab Province in December 2008 by Presidential decree | |||
| Gurziwan | Created in 2005 within Bilchiragh District | |||
| Khani Chahar Bagh | 22,000 | |||
| Khwaja Sabz Posh | ||||
| Kohistan | 38,200 | |||
| Maymana | 68,000 | |||
| Pashtun Kot | 159,300 | |||
| Qaramqol | 17,100 | |||
| Qaysar | 122,300 | |||
| Qurghan | Created in 2005 within Andkhoy District | |||
| Shirin Tagab | 65,800 |
| Mary Province, Turkmenistan | Lebap Province, Turkmenistan | Jowzjan Province | ||
| Faryab Province | ||||
| Badghis Province | Ghor Province | Sar-e Pol Province |
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